24. Chapter 24
Chapter 24
I wake to the sound of a voice. His voice . It takes me a while to remember where I am and how I wound up here, but it all rushes back. The man at the diner, the way he followed me with intent to harm me, Eagan showing up out of nowhere and bloodying up his knuckles for me, and then offering me a place to stay. For a few moments last night, he looked at me like I wasn’t a monster. He even held my hand, and I couldn’t stop the warmth that spread through my skin at the touch. It didn’t last though. I saw the moment that he remembered who I am. What I am. It was like a wall slammed down over his features, and any kindness I saw in his gaze was replaced with disinterest and reproach.
I recall coming back with him to his apartment and meeting my true love in the form of this amazing bed. I don’t recall anything after that. I take stock of my appearance. I’m still in the mint green dress from yesterday. I can’t believe I fell asleep without even taking the time to take off my shoes. I must have just passed out the moment I got comfortable. My cheeks warm as I realize I have no recollection of saying good night to Eagan. Goddess, did I fall asleep right in front of him? I let out a yawn and stretch out my body. Even after a full week of being human, the sensation of stretching my muscles, hearing the little pops as everything falls back into place, still feels wonderful.
Eagan’s voice sounds from outside my room. That’s what woke me up. The shades are pulled down over the window, making it impossible for me to tell what time it is, so I reluctantly pry myself away from heaven to look outside. As I suspected, the sun is high in the sky indicating that, again, I slept for a long time. I swear all this body wants to do is sleep! And now that I’ve discovered this bed, I’m not sure I ever want to stop.
I kick off my shoes, grateful to feel the floor on my bare feet. Note to self: shoes come off before sleep. I leave my room and hesitantly enter the kitchen where Eagan sits at the island bench. I’m nervous to see him again and a bit embarrassed about falling asleep so quickly last night. He glances at me. “Gotta go Tom, I’ll see you and Lacey in a couple of hours.” He ends the call, placing it down in front of him.
“Good morning,” he says, and a pang of disappointment stabs my chest when I recognize the same closed off tone of voice he used last night and not the warm one I caught a glimpse of. “Did you sleep well?” The corner of his mouth lifts up in a small smirk and once again my cheeks heat in embarrassment.
“I can honestly say I’ve never slept anywhere so comfortable before. It’s like sleeping on a cloud. I am sorry that I fell asleep so quickly though, you didn’t even really get a chance to show me around or let me know what you expect from me being here.”
He sighs and runs a hand through his hair that is gorgeously tousled from his own sleep. “God I don’t even know what to expect from you. I don’t like the idea of you being exposed on the beach and running into trouble again like last night but to tell you the truth, I’m not super comfortable with you being here either.” Ouch, that hurts.
“I’m not sure how this is going to work but for now, just hang out here, sleep here and eat the food in the fridge. I’ll try and figure out what to do with you later. I’m going out soon though.”
I nod and my stomach lets out a loud grumble. His little lop-sided smile returns, and I swear I’d give anything to witness the power of his full smile. “Hungry are we? Sorry I don’t have human flesh on the menu today,” he says dryly and seriously, picking up a glass of water to drink. There it is. Just another sign that he thinks I am despicable and despite him showing kindness by allowing me to stay, it’s temporary and he will be trying to get rid of me as soon as possible.
My shoulders slump forward a little but I draw upon my snark and give it right back to him. “Oh damn! And here I was thinking you look so delicious and hoping you might serve yourself up to me on a silver platter.” Eagan chokes on his water and after catching his breath he looks at me warily, his mouth twitching. I can see him trying to decide if I am serious or not. I let him off the hook this time. “I’m just joking! The food humans eat is fucking delicious. I’ll have anything you’ve got. Can I please have a shower first though? I’m feeling pretty gross after sleeping like the dead.” I don’t really wait for an answer before walking to the bathroom. I smile to myself at my ability to keep him on his toes even though I don’t always feel the confidence I display. I don’t want him to see that the way he reacts to me hurts.
After spending a minute or so playing around with the different temperature knobs until the water flowing from the shower head is beautifully hot, I can’t help but groan as the spray seeps into my skin, causing a state of relaxation that makes my legs feel wobbly. I could get used to the luxury of the human world. I find some body wash and rub that over my skin until I feel clean and soft. I inhale and breathe in the hints of coconut and spices. It smells like him.
I realize when I’m finished that I don’t want to put on the same dress I was wearing last night. I’ve been wearing it for a while and it’s in desperate need of a wash. There is a towel though, so after giving my hair and body a quick dry I wrap it around myself. It covers everything that humans get weird about seeing so I don’t think twice before leaving the bathroom.
“What are you doing?” I look down the hall and see Eagan leaving what I assume to be his bedroom. He’s staring at me, pupils blown and with a faint tinge of pink to his cheeks.
I smile at him. “I’m going to change into some of my other clothes. The dress was a bit disgusting, and I didn’t want to put it back on now that I’m clean.”
He coughs. “Can you er… maybe… not walk around naked when you are here?” I look at him confused, an eyebrow raised.
“But I’m not naked. My tits and my pussy are completely covered. That’s what normally makes you humans uncomfortable right?”
“Fucking hell,” he mutters under his breath while rubbing a hand over his face. “Just put some clothes on okay.”
“Alright, alright, I’m going. Don’t stress,” I huff. Humans are so strange with their views about other people's bodies but I am hit with the satisfaction that seeing my body seemed to have an effect on him. He’s not so repulsed by me after all.
Eagan has been out of the house for a couple of hours now. He didn’t say where he was going or when he would be home. I guess it isn’t really my business. I’m very unsure about my place here and what I am supposed to do when he is out. He said I can sleep and eat here but what else?
Am I allowed to leave? I’m going to get bored if I have to stay around this apartment all the time. I wonder if being here is simply delaying the inevitable. He isn’t going to want me around forever. If I get used to these human luxuries and his attention, it will hurt all the more when he kicks me to the curb. I should leave now before he gets the chance to rip my heart out. Figuratively of course, after all, I was the one who ripped out hearts.
I wander into the kitchen for the second time since he left. I’m not used to having such a wide range of foods at my disposal. The fresh fruit is particularly delicious but, of course, does not come anywhere close to the burger from the diner. I pick out a red apple that is sitting in a bowl on the kitchen island. I take a large bite and relish the sweetness that coats my tongue. I bring it with me to the sofa, continuing to take bites as I go.
Eagan has a television. I’ve seen them in the diner and at a couple of the places I went to with men I seduced. I know it’s controlled by some kind of remote. After looking for a couple of minutes, I find it. I settle into the comfortable cushions with my feet tucked underneath me. I press a few buttons on the remote before the extremely large television comes to life. I stare in awe as I have never really spent much time paying attention to these things before now. I manage to navigate my way to something that has various television shows and movies available to watch at any time. I find something that catches my interest called Love Island which looks like they have shoved a bunch of attractive men and women on an island together to see what will happen. It sounds fun. This will keep me occupied until Eagan comes home. Sitting in a comfortable chair, relaxed, and fully sated with food at my disposal, I decide that I’m going to hang around. At least for a little while.